1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beam scanning probe system for surgery for acquiring information about a tissue to be operated on using a beam scanning probe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, beam scanning probe systems for surgery are widely used in brain surgery and other fields. The beam scanning probe system for surgery is for acquiring information about a tissue to be operated on using a confocal beam scanning probe.
Such a beam scanning probe includes, for example, those proposed by the present Applicants in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-126115 (P2000-126115A), P2000-121961A and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-171718 which are for conducting cytological diagnosis of a biological tissue by placing a probe at a confocal condition, scanning the test site kept at a focus, and gathering optical information from the site.
A similar beam scanning probe for surgery is proposed in the field of brain surgery which enables cytological diagnosis of a biological tissue under a microscope, like the one previously described by the present Applicants in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-154228.
Excision of a tumor in brain surgery requires previous pathological examination of many sites on and around the tumor to be excised. If the tumor develops in the parenchyma of the brain, the operator must determine how to approach it and how to excise it depending on its benign/malignant nature determined based on the pathological examination. Particularly, if operation is performed on a malignant tumor, it must be determined based on the pathological examination of the tumor performed during operation whether the entire tumor should be excised, or whether surgical invasion into the surrounding brain parenchyma should be kept minimal with certain parts of the tumor left intact, that is, how the boundary between the excised part and the intact part should be defined. In such a situation, if there are certain sites of the tumor whose pictures do not permit definite diagnosis, the operation should be interrupted until a pathological examiner makes a definite diagnosis, or should be completely withdrawn. In the latter case, a renewed surgery will be required.
Although methods for making cytological diagnosis using a conventional beam scanning probe system for surgery have been disclosed, the conventional system does not permit the operator to precisely define a lesion in the brain structure, even less to reproduce it on display, and moreover requires the presence of a pathological examiner on the site.
Further, if a conventional beam scanning probe system for surgery is used for cytological examination, the relation between a site of which diagnosis is made, and an image obtained therefrom, and the extent of a lesion on that site are separately treated from each other. On account of this, as long as the conventional beam scanning probe system is used for cytological examination, those separate data must be organized before a proper operation plan is established.
Incidentally, the beam scanning probe includes, for example, one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,314 which examines tissues exposed to a laser beam, and determines the affected tissues.
The beam scanning probe also includes, for example, one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,349 which is for introducing a treatment tool through the human body.